Development of Nutritious Biscuits for Gluten Intolerance Patients

Background: The rising incidence of celiac disease and gluten intolerance has led to an increasing demand for gluten-free products. Tapioca and corn flour are promising alternatives to wheat flour due to their gluten-free nature and beneficial nutritional properties. Objective: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the sensory characteristics of gluten-free biscuits made from tapioca and corn flour, individually and in combination, compared to a control sample made from wheat flour. Methods: This study was conducted at the National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Ingredients such as wheat flour, corn flour, tapioca flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt were procured from the local market. Four samples were prepared: a control sample (T1) with wheat flour; T2 with corn flour; T3 with tapioca flour; and T4 with a blend of corn and tapioca flours. The specific quantities of ingredients were as follows: T1 (250g wheat flour), T2 (250g corn flour), T3 (250g tapioca flour), and T4 (125g corn flour + 125g tapioca flour). Biscuits were prepared by mixing dry ingredients, followed by liquid ingredients, to form a smooth dough, which was then shaped and baked at 180°C for 20-25 minutes. Sensory evaluation involved consumer effective testing with 50 untrained panelists using a 9-point hedonic scale, and quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) with 10 trained panelists using a 15-point scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and Microsoft Excel for graphical representation. Ethical approval was obtained in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results: In the consumer effective test, the control sample (T1) received ratings of 7.89 for color, 7.10 for flavor, 7.85 for texture, 7.9 for aroma, and 7.68 for overall acceptance. The T2 sample showed ratings of 7.78 for overall acceptance, 7.55 for color, 7.95 for flavor, 7.65 for texture, and 7.98 for aroma. The T3 sample scored 7.62 for overall acceptance, 7.55 for flavor, 7.8 for texture, and 8.0 for aroma. The T4 sample, with the blend of corn and tapioca flour, displayed the highest scores: 8.5 for color, 8.15 for flavor, 8.1 for texture, 7.95 for aroma, and 8.17 for overall acceptance. In the QDA, the control sample (T1) received scores of 9.81 for overall acceptability, 8.55 for flavor, 9.5 for texture, 10.5 for aroma, and 11 for taste. The T2 sample scored 10.08 for overall acceptability, 9.5 for color, 9.7 for flavor, 9.1 for texture, 11 for aroma, and 11.1 for taste. The T3 sample had scores of 10.32 for overall acceptability, 9.0 for color, 11.1 for flavor, 9.6 for texture, 11 for aroma, and 10.9 for taste. The T4 sample achieved the highest scores in QDA: 11.18 for overall acceptability, 10 for color, 13 for flavor, 10 for texture, 11.9 for aroma, and 11 for taste. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that gluten-free biscuits made from a blend of tapioca and corn flours (T4) had superior sensory attributes compared to those made from either flour alone and the control sample made from wheat flour. This suggests that tapioca and corn flour blends could be promising alternatives in the development of gluten-free products. Further research is recommended to explore the application of these flours in other gluten-free food products.